Editorial: Mandatory flu shots for workers at health facilities sets a good example for everyone

It’s the time of year for a small dose of nagging that could prevent a lot of misery down the road.

Get you flu shot. And make sure family members -- especially those under 2 and over 65, those with asthma, diabetes or lung disease and pregnant women -- are vaccinated as well.

It’s not known yet what strains of flu may be around the corner, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A few cases already have cropped up around the country in advance of the traditional flu season, which peaks in January or February and can continue into May.

The vaccines prepared for this year include some that will guard against four strains of flu rather than the usual three. There are options for those allergic to eggs, as well as vaccines administered with just a skin-deep prick or in a nasal spray. The shots are readily available from your doctor, at clinics, even at the supermarket.

For the first time, all four Mercer County-area hospitals are insisting that clinical staff members get a flu shot unless they have a religious objection or a medical reason to forgo the vaccination.

It’s a bit surprising that policy was not already in place at facilities dedicated to healing and wellness. But, as Bridget Clerkin reported last week in The Times, mandatory shots have been contested in some places around the country. Fueled by workers’ complaints, a measure in Wisconsin aims to ban health-care facilities from requiring the vaccination. And a recent push to require health-care workers in New York to be vaccinated drew criticism from at-home caregivers.

Closer to home, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in Hamilton, University Medical Center of Princeton at Plainsboro and Capital Health’s hospitals in Hopewell and Trenton are following St. Francis Medical Center, which established the policy in 2009. The few St. Francis employees who refused the shot that year were fired.

At RWJ, chief nursing officer Lisa Breza says educating staffers about the benefits of the shot, and discrediting stubborn myths -- specifically, that the vaccine includes a live virus – helped the program succeed.

The willingness of health-care professionals to roll up their sleeves may help convince the rest of use to get a flu shot. Last year, only about 45 percent of all Americans were vaccinated, while the CDC recommends a yearly flu vaccine for nearly everyone, starting at 6 months of age.

One more bit of nagging: The sooner you get a shot, the sooner it will become effective.